TV stations in Houston, TX, are reporting a large explosion in a BASF facility in Freeport, TX. Reports are coming out that a tanker car has exploded and a building housing tanker cars has been leveled.

Getting helicopter cameras in now. It looks like a HUGE explosion. Several holding tanks are destroyed and a fire truck is crushed and on fire. At least a football field size of charred and burning metal.

Highway 332 and parts of other roads nearby are reportedly closed to traffic.

The explosion, which occurred about 9:30 a.m., could be felt for miles away, according to residents.

The BASF production plant, 602 Copper Road in Freeport, has been evacuated, according to workers.

Officials have ordered the plants in the area locked down because of air quality concerns. Reports also indicate that residents along Slaughter Road are being told to stay inside their homes because of the air quality.

Emergency officials are checking wind direction to see which, if any, residential areas could be affected by the blast. For now, residents are being asked to "shelter in place," which means stay indoors.

Charlotte Zwahr said she lives 20 miles from the BASF plant, and heard and felt the explosion. Minutes later, Zwahr said, her husband, a driver for Service Transport who was inside the plant at the time of the explosion, called to say the plant was being evacuated.

Zwahr said a cloud of white smoke was seen over the plant first, then the explosion occurred, and then clouds of black smoke appeared.

Clute police officers said they were deluged with reports of the explosion from area residents who believed it came from the BASF plant, but had not yet been able to reach anyone at the plant.

Some residents said they believed a tank car on a nearby railroad track may have been the source of the explosion.

"Now run along and go buy a car or a computer. Help restore your country's economy. Buy some stock. Or a refrigerator. Or a lawn mower. Go do anything else. You just can't stay here because this incident is not in any way related to terrorism or people of middle-eastern descent."

They seem to be having problems with freight trains colliding and danger of explosions in Germany, too. I think two trains collided head-on and a tank car with the highly poisonous gas Epichlorhydrin exploded or is in danger of exploding.

Georgetown (30 miles north of Austin, TX) -- Williamson County sheriff's officials on Thursday arrested a man in connection with the theft of part of 330 pounds of potentially explosive fertilizer reported missing from a Georgetown company.

Bryon David, 24, of Georgetown remained in the Williamson County Jail Thursday evening on a state felony charge of burglary of a buildling. His bond was set at $30,000 said Wendy Denson, sheriff's spokeswoman.

David admitted stealing a 30-pound tube of ammonium nitrate from Austin Powder Co. and dumping the fertilizer at the Williamson County landfill after media coverage of the theft made him nervous, Denson said.

Authorities investigated David's story and he passed a lie-detector test, Denson said. He was not an Austin Powder employee.

"We are confident that that's all he took," Denson said.

The investigation led authorities to believe hat other 300 pounds, or 10 tubes, reported missing was a bookkeeping error made by the company and not actually missing, Denson said.

The tube David said he threw in the landfill has been destroyed, she said.

war explodiert doesn't sound like in danger of exploding, but the rest of the article does. Hmmm. As I read the original article, I think one of the tanker cars exploded in the original head-on collision and there is another tank car(s?) in danger of exploding.

...the people there are accustomed to accidental fires and explosions.

True, indeed!

I grew up within sight of the petrochem plants & refineries crowded along the Houston Ship Channel. After a while, upon hearing a " WHUMP! ", we would listen, rather than look. It was easy to identify the plant involved, because each had its own, distinctive fire alarm/whistle...

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